If beauty feeds the soul, (and make no mistake: it truly does!) there should be at least a couple thousand islanders who are acting a bit more spiritually nurtured. Maybe traffic situations won't seem as important for them for a few days. Perhaps the fiscal and political frustrations and disappointments of recent times will be faced by these with renewed resolve coupled with patience to make this beautiful island the paradise it can be. The Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra returned to the Reichhold Center for an evening of musical splendor on Saturday night, Nov. 11. Last year's season had included their first return to the island in nearly twenty years. Let's hope that last night was the Second Annual Presentation of the Puerto Rico Symphony under the shared aegis of the Birch Forum and the Reichhold Center for the Arts.
The program opened with the tone poem Till Eulenspiegel's Lustige Streiche ("Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks") Opus 28 by Richard Strauss. This is an example of program music, an instrumental composition which attempts to tell a story. Unfortunately, the printed program was devoid of program notes on the works performed. (This is the only possible disappointment of what was a thrilling evening!) The work is based on the 16th century German folk tale of a roguish Till Eulenspiegel, who has many similarities to a Robin Hood type of character. The work is in a free rondo form (ABACADA) in which the composer uses two themes to symbolize the character, first as a popular hero (French horns) and then as a vagabond prankster (woodwinds). Strauss does not try to depict specific episodes in the life of this legendary character until the very end, where the sentencing and hanging of the poor fellow are clearly suggested. Strauss was a master of orchestral effect and tone-color. Even those in the audience who did not know the story behind the work were able to enjoy the beautiful wash of sound that was emitted by the orchestra. The French horn is a ridiculously difficult instrument to play well. If its tone were not so richly enchanting when it is played well, the last French horn would have been tossed in the trash in disgust and frustration long ago. Add to this the fact that Strauss could be as naughty as the fictional character he was attempting to portray and you have what is a fiendishly difficult virtuoso snippet which returns several times and soars to the highest range of the instrument and then plunges to the lowest depth of the range. It can be compared to a devilish ice skating or gymnastics feat. If the performer's technique is not absolutely flawless, our mythical hero falls on his keester after making this grand entrance. That did not happen last night. Last night we were once again shocked into remembering the fact that the Puerto Rico Symphony has become a world class orchestra with musically inspired leadership and absolutely first class performers in all divisions. It is time for them to record. They have something to say that deserves to be preserved.
Following the Strauss, our own Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra played a piece entitled "Gold" which is a rocking, rolling, shake it up, dance yourself silly, drinkin' rum an fogettin' 'bout tomorrow, lie on ya back an show what ya can do kind of number. The Rising Stars are an amazing group of young people. We have so many opportunities to hear them that many may have felt skeptical at the prospect of their sharing the program with an orchestra which we had only gotten to have once in the last too many years. Even the most prudish musical purist in attendance had to be totally disarmed by what we witnessed and experienced. A great steel band is a loud, very rhythmic group with showmanship to burn. The Rising Stars are a great steel band. Watching the seriousness of its members as they perform — even when doing showman antics like lying on their backs as they play their drums upside down — is beguiling. We are a small community. Every resident at the concert must have known at least one member of the Rising Stars. And we felt deeply grateful to John Hodge and his staff for the joy we derived from watching these great young people play so remarkably well, knowing they felt pride in participating in something really impressive and of very high quality. We could not help but note the respectful, engaged attentiveness of the symphony orchestra members as our Rising Stars shone. What did come as a surprise was the uncharacteristic subtlety with which the steel band played in Rossini's Overture to "The Barber of Seville." Now, who in the world would dream up transcribing this piece for the combination we heard last night? Whoever it is has a great sense of humor and a terrific gift at transcription. Hearing the way in which the orchestra would introduce a musical phrase and pass it off to the steel band was an experience in ear training for both steel band and audience. The steel band was able to imitate the nuance, tone quality and even the articulation of the strings. The audience was spellbound and thrilled. Roselin Pabon, associate music director of the PRSO, lauded our young people and pointed out the very important obvious: music training for our young people is not a luxury, it is very important and worthwhile.
Intermission was a great time of shared enthusiasm and excited, friendly encounters. A real community feeling permeated the atmosphere. However, the Reichhold Center needs to install a non-irritating chime or other signal to warn the audience three minutes prior to the end of the interval. Too many were caught off guard and missed the first movement of the symphony which comprised the second half. Although not among them, this reviewer felt compassion for the late returnees. It was right that they not be allowed to disrupt the performance by returning to their seats after the orchestra had begun to play. It would also be appropriate for them to have gotten the universal warning, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the performance will resume in three minutes. Please take your seats."
The best of the new generation of conductors (of which Maestro Eugene Kohn is definitely a member) are not scornful of Tchaikovsky. This is despite the fact that the poor composer's tortured life was followed by a derisive trashing from at least a whole generation of musicologists and music history instructors who resented the fact that his music was easily accessible to the nonmusical. How well this reviewer can recall the prudish scorn with which poor Ilyitch was dismissed in less than two paragraphs of a lecture in 1972. Pinched and pained was the visage of the booksy-wooksy, aristocratic pedant who promised that we would be forgiven if we had to perform either the 1812 or Nutcracker. Anything beyond that — especially on a voluntary basis — he warned would be tantamount to pedaling a barbiturate. How guilty those of us who were drawn to the symphonies or cello variations were made to feel! Eugene Kohn showed St. Thomas that Tchaikovsky is a major composer. His fourth symphony is a masterpiece. Although written at a time of severe mental/emotional depression, the work glows with defiant hope and ends in blazing triumph. It is a remarkable composition on many levels. The first movement shows not just the composer's ability to be moody, but his ability to stretch the first movement sonata form without discarding it. The whole composition can simply be used as a vehicle to showcase beautiful sounds and the talent of the players. The Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra could certainly have done that. They have the silky quality of string tone. They have the purity of intonation. They have a brass section that can give you goosebumps. They have bassoons that make you close your eyes and wish you could lock that beautiful sound in your head to draw upon when needed in the future. What about the percussion? They're from Puerto Rico for crying out loud. They can be so subtle that you wonder whether you really hear them or just feel them. They can also
scare you like an earthquake. They chose to do so much more. They unfolded this work with the balance of emotion and attention to form which only great musicians can attain. They have master teachers seated with their students, who have become their colleagues, and they bring to life great music as a body with a real heart. At their head are two men who have impeccable taste and obvious respect for and from their players. They can not suppress their love for making music of the highest caliber. Oh, what a night! This is going to be a great week.
Roger Lakins is minister of music at the St. Thomas Reformed Church and head of the English department of Antilles School.
